Braydon Roberts - Introduction and Book Recommendation

[caption id="attachment_1140" align="alignleft" width="163"] Braydon[/caption]

The library cannot provide its extended hours and services, during the academic year, with-out the help of its student workers.   We are deeply appreciative of all the work they do and would like to showcase them on the blog this semester.  We have asked them to recommend a book or media item to the Coe community and will post a brief introduction and their suggestions in the coming weeks.

Library student worker Braydon Roberts is a sophomore who works in the George T. Henry College Archives.  He suggests the Book "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller, because "It is a classical work set during World War II that also involves a lot of humor."

Catch-22 in the Library Catalog

Catch-22 is set in the closing month of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy.  Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever even if he has to die in the attempt.)

His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly.

-from the description on the book jacket

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant

Study, Study, Study!

Stewart Memorial Library offers many wonderful study areas to choose from.  If you need complete quietness, then the third floor would be best for you.  However, if you are like me and need background noise in order to function then choose the first floor.  Often, I can be found with my head in my book at a round table towards the back!  I also enjoy studying in the study rooms that the library offers on 2nd floor and in the basement. ~Petreece

Internet law and rules, answered by an expert

This is a neat blog post that I found earlier today on Lifehacker.  The site hosted a Q & A session with  Derek Bambauer, an associate professor of law at the University of Arizona, where he teaches about internet law and intellectual property. In the past, he was also involved OpenNet Initiative, which tested and studied censorship in countries such as China, Iran, and Vietnam. Although the session is now over,  you'll find lots of great questions in the comments on Internet behaviors and law that I think would be of interest to pretty much everyone who uses the Web.  If you need a break today, take a look!
-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Coe Etiquette Book 1941- Friendliness and Library Etiquette

In 1941 there were 738 students on campus, a far smaller number than the more than 1300 there are today. But, this first bit of advice is still good; don't hesitate to speak to students, faculty and staff you see on campus.  It is a grand feeling to be able to speak to practically everyone you meet!

No the dining room staff are not your fellow students anymore, but please do treat them with courtesy along with the staff from physical plant who maintain the campus.  Saying good morning, good evening, and showing them respect (even when they can't get to your problem immediately) is very good advice still applicable today.

We have a very fine library on campus. I'll let you decide if it is still one of the finest in Iowa.  In certain areas quiet is appreciated, especially on the third floor.  Study is still an objective, but ignore the rest of that second paragraph.   Study groups, club meetings, and events are welcome and can be expected in the library.  This means noise!  You can also have food in the library (except in the archives).

The librarians and assistants are here for your convenience.  Feel free to ask questions, get directions, or just say hi (we won't bite, I promise)!

Students can check-out books for 28 days and can renew them for a total check out of 56 days (almost 2 months!), periodicals (magazines and journals) can be checked out for 3 days, and DVDs can be checked out for 3-7 days (depending if it is a new release or not).  Yes, if you fail to return library material you will be fined!

Next week: the etiquette of appointments with instructors and classes.

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant

A student's perspective.....

One of the great things about the library - and Coe itself - is the AV department. There are so many DVDs including movies, TV series and documentaries to choose from; my roommate and I made it a tradition to rent TV series and to watch an episode or two every night, and to watch movies in the AV theater whenever we had downtime. The AV library is a really great resource to de-stress when the rest of campus seems to have nothing but work associated with it.

What do the librarians do all day?

Welcome back to Coe everyone!  The start of the semester has been very busy for the reference department, which is pretty standard this time of year.  Many of the FYS classes visit the library during the first few weeks in order to receive an introduction to Coe's holdings and how to best navigate our resources.  One of the activities that I have been starting classes off with this fall is a short activity called, "What do the librarians do all day?", which is a good way to get students thinking about the role that the library and the staff there have in their overall experience at Coe.  I have enjoyed doing this activity so much with the classes, I thought I'd share a bit of what comes out of it on the blog.

Many students believe that the librarians are responsible for shelving and organizing the books, a task that I'm very grateful to say is left to the student workers that help keep the library running (I put in my time shelving books in my hometown library in high school and am not anxious to be back on full-time shelving duty any time soon.)  Most students are very on the ball with other most commonly heard answers, which is that the staff is here to help students. Help them with research, help them with database usage, help them by answering related library questions, and the list goes on and on.  I'm thankful that many of the first-year students seem to understand that the staff is here to help them reach their academic goals, as that's ultimately the reason that I think many people go into this type of work; because they enjoy helping people find what they need.
On that note, please feel free to stop by the reference office any time you're having troubles with a research project, or just find yourself in need of someone to help you brainstorm.  Enjoy your fall everyone!
--Katelyn, Head of Referenc

Coe Etiquette Book 1941

At the left is the cover of an etiquette book provided to the students in 1941.  Every Saturday, in the coming weeks, you can find bits of wisdom from this book here.  Some of its suggestions will be amusing, some I will encourage you to ignore, and some of its advice is still valid today and can help you have an enjoyable college experience.  But first, an introduction from students of 1941 to the students of 2012.

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant